Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing. Only the story is mine.

Note: Previously, in "When You Least Expect It," Liz and Victor get married. Later, at the reception, Klaus gets a call from Elijah, and when he tells Caroline about it, she says that unless the both of them go to the meeting, they won't go at all.

Hey, everyone! I just got an idea for this next installment a few days ago and since I have a moment now, I will go ahead with it. No spoilers, just keep reading!

Law Office of Elijah S. Mikaelson, Esq. - 2 Days Later…

Caroline gave Klaus' hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked into the building that housed his brother's law firm. She knew that he was still nervous about this meeting that they were attending today, made evident by the way he didn't smile at her when they made eye contact and the way he barely spoke a word to her the whole trip to the office.

She wanted to get him to talk to her, but knew that she couldn't force him. He'll talk to me when he's ready. Until then, I'll be the supportive girlfriend and let him know that I'm here.

No sooner did they enter the office than Klaus saw that there was something different about Elijah. For one thing, his clothes were all disheveled when they were usually ironed. The other thing was that his hair was a mess, and he looked like he hadn't slept very well. His curiosity overriding his nervousness, Klaus decided to find out what was going on.

"Brother, are you all right? You look like death warmed over."

Elijah looked up. "It's Amelia. I had to take her to the hospital last night."

Caroline felt her heart hammer at the mention of Elijah's wife. She remembered seeing her at Kol and Lexi's wedding, socializing with the other guests. In fact, the two of them had spoken briefly at the ceremony and she got a very maternal vibe from her. Of course, since she was pregnant, that was to be expected.

"What happened to her?" she said. "Is she sick?"

"She...She told me that she had been in pain all day and nothing seemed to work," said Elijah. "As I mentioned before, I took her to the hospital. The doctor took one look at her and before I could say a word, he signaled for the orderlies to get her to surgery. When I asked, he told me her appendix had burst and it could seriously endanger both her and the baby if we waited too long. So, in addition to an appendectomy, she had to have an emergency Caesarean." He took a deep breath. "As a result, he was born two months premature and to be put in the incubator in the NICU until his weight came up."

"He?" said Klaus. "It's a boy?"

Elijah nodded slowly. "Yes. We named him Colin. Colin Zachary Mikaelson."

"And Amelia?" said Klaus. "Is she going to be all right?"

"She's still a bit weak, but they told me she'll recover," said Elijah. "But, I'm worried. I love her so much and it hurts me to know that I came close to losing her and my son." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what I'm going to tell Evelyn if she asks me where Mummy is. For God's sake, she's only three years old. How do you tell a three-year-old that her mummy and new little brother aren't home?"

Klaus and Caroline exchanged looks before Caroline looked at Elijah again. "Did you want to reschedule the meeting for another day? You don't seem to be in any condition to be here right now, given what happened with your wife and..."

Elijah lifted his hand to stop her. "I appreciate your concern, Caroline, but Detective Kenner is already on his way. He has told me that his investigation has turned up something that he thinks we'll be interested in." He nodded pointedly at Klaus. "Something that Niklaus will be interested in."

Klaus gave his brother a look. He didn't appreciate the tone that Elijah was using, even with the current situation he was in. Honestly, just because his wife was in the hospital because she had to have an emergency Caesarean due to a burst appendix, it didn't excuse him from doing what he did. He would have told him off if the door hadn't opened, revealing Detective Jackson Kenner himself.

"Good morning, everyone," he said. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"No, Detective," said Elijah. "You'll have to excuse the way I look. I had a rather rough night." He saw that the younger man was about to suggest rescheduling, like Caroline had done earlier. "No, this is too important to reschedule. You said that you had something to share, so let's not waste any time."

Detective Kenner nodded, even though he wasn't convinced. Instead of pressing the issue, he decided to get to the matter at hand. He reached into his pocket and took out a manila envelope containing what he had found during the course of his investigation.

"Now, as I mentioned on the phone, this was unlike any other investigation I have ever gone on. Following Esther and her lover around wasn't easy, because there was always the risk of them catching me and asking me why I was following them." He cleared his throat. "But, I did some digging and I found this."

Klaus grabbed the envelope and opened it, taking out a piece of paper. "This looks like a birth certificate." He looked at Caroline. "My birth certificate." He looked at Detective Kenner. "How is this interesting?"

The younger man pointed to the bottom on the document. "Look at the name on the 'Name of Father' line. I must warn you, though, once you read it, you'll be in for quite a shock."

Klaus looked at the line in question. When he saw the name, his eyes widened, growling in utter disgust. Caroline saw how agitated he was becoming and took the paper from him, seeing what he had seen.

"It says that Ansel Bradbury is Klaus' father."

"Yes," said Elijah. "It would seem that Mother was telling the truth after all."

Klaus growled even more as he listened to what they were saying and, without a word to either of them, he let go of Caroline's hand and walked out of the building. Caroline saw him leave and, out of concern for him, handed the document back to Detective Kenner before following after him. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew that she had to comfort him. She found him by the car, clenching his fists in anger.

"Klaus?"

He didn't face her as he replied, "I hate her, Caroline. I hate her with every fiber of my being."

Caroline nodded and slowly approached him, wrapping her arms around him from behind, kissing his cheek. She also hated Esther for putting the man she loved through such hell. What kind of a mother would subject her child to something like this?

"I know, I hate her too," she said finally. "But, you don't have to deal with this alone. I promised to stand by you, and I intend on keeping my promise, no matter what."

Her words caused Klaus to turn around, facing her as he gently grabbed her arms. "As much as I appreciate that, Caroline, I don't want you to get hurt. You don't know my mother, or what she's capable of."

"Maybe not, but I'm not afraid of her," said Caroline. "She can do her worst, but that won't change how I feel about you. When I entered this relationship, I knew that there would be risks involved. And didn't you tell me that I'm not the kind of woman who gives up on anything when we had coffee together at the Grill?"

Klaus nodded as he remembered that day. It was the same day Caroline had lunch with her mother and had been commissioned to plan her wedding. "I did say that, didn't I?" He sighed and pulled her close, running his fingers through her hair. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You helped me realize that not all men are as bad as my ex, and for that I'm very grateful," she replied, returning his hug. "I love you, Klaus Mikaelson. I know that we haven't known each other very long, but it's true."

Klaus smiled. "I love you too, Caroline Forbes. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Note: I think I'll end Chapter 10 here before I repeat myself. In case you're curious as to when this is taking place, it's now sometime in May, since the story began in late April. Anyway, stay tuned!

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